Buttner in awe of 'great' Manchester United team-mates

By Theo Squires

The 23-year-old knows how lucky he is to play alongside the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney, and hopes that training with them will help him improve as a player

Manchester United full-back Alexander Buttner has revealed he is still in awe of his new team-mates at Old Trafford, and wants to learn as much as he can from his idols to help him improve as a player.

The 23-year-old left-back, who could start for Sir Alex Ferguson's side in the Champions League against CFR Cluj, completed his surprise switch from Vitesse Arnhem in the summer as cover for Patrice Evra.

The Dutchman made an instant impact for the Red Devils by scoring a superb solo-goal to cap off a great individual performance on his debut against Wigan Athletic in September.

Despite not being a first-team regular for United so far this season, Buttner insists he is just enjoying being able to learn from players he has admired from afar for so long.

"I feel so lucky to be here and it's great to play with so many great players like Giggs and Scholes," Buttner told Manchester United's official match-day programme.

"Before I came I used to play with them on Fifa [the computer game], now I get to train with them every day!

"We have so many great players in the squad and the fighting spirit is fantastic. Everybody works so hard."

The Dutchman also singled out team-mate Wayne Rooney for special praise. The striker, who has seen his role in the United side change considerably since the arrival of Buttner's compatriot Robin van Persie, had only scored three goals for the Red Devils since the start of the season before his side's win over Reading on Saturday.

But Rooney bounced back with two goals and an assist against the Royals, as United came from behind to secure a 4-3 win, and Buttner was quick to highlight how important the England striker is to the side.

He added: "Look at someone like Wazza - he plays No.10 but he is everywhere on the pitch. He's a great player for the team.

"The thing that makes United so special is the fact we have so many top players, not just in the first XI but on the bench as well.

"I am learning from everyone every day and I hope I can become a better player here."